Greed, money, power and corruption are the driving forces for humanity's larger decisions.
The end result to the people is increased school/credit/housing debt, lower overall wages, higher incarceration
rates and endless war.

Issues

People Are Divided

Progressives and conservatives communicate and view the world completely differently. After decades of "marketing", we been divided up more than I've seen in my lifetime. While we all have similar end goals of humanity thriving, progressives and conservatives disagree on where we are, how we got here, and of course, how to move forward. The top issues I see from each are:

Progressives

Social Justice

Climate Change

Peace

Deal Breaker: Free market is heartless

Conservatives

Safety / Security

Preserving Culture (tradition)

Freedom

Deal Breaker: Big government doesn't work

A Closer Look

Without a doubt, our biggest problem is that we don't understand each other, especially our political adversaries. We don't live in a climate that encourages working together to solve our biggest problems, in fact the opposite. When was the last time you saw network news air two different political sides having a constructive thoughtful discussion? I'm not sure I've ever seen one. This is bad news if the populous is required to be involved for society to function.

Not only is the public divided in their perspectives, history and desired path forward, there exists no outlet where rational discourse regarding our biggest problems is discussed. Political parties thrive on our division.

As a first step in understanding "the other political side", consider accepting two things: progressives are correct that the free-market/capitalist model is heartless and conservatives are correct that big government doesn't work. I believe both are correct and both invalidate the major solutions offered by all political parties.

The Source of it All

There are two major forces that determine our fate: business interests (greed/money/power) and governments which are prone to corruption. Over the last century, these two forces pushed for the wealth to be transferred to the "elite" class (those who own private jets/yachts). This shows up to the public as more student/car/credit card debt, short selling homes, job insecurity, increased incarceration rates, less access to healthcare, etc.

While individual politicians may mean well, the federal government and both political parties as institutions have failed in their soul endeavour: representing the people. Corruption has paralyzed progress and there are no signs of change. If greed, money, power and corruption are the major driving forces for humanity, it is unreasonable to expect our society to improve now or any generation until these forces are addressed.

To make matters worse, automation and AI advancements over the next decade will mark a permanent decrease in available jobs. This will force us into a universal basic income model where dependence on government or corporations gets amplified. This is not a future I'm morally okay with leaving for the next generation.

Solutions

Cooperative Economy

The answer to how to fix both the progressive concern about the morality of capitalism and the conservative concern about inefficient/corrupted governments is to create a framework for people's collaboration that is recession proof.

Cooperative Economy

Nothing

Human Rights

I will always side with human rights over any institution or profit motive. A new social contract with each other guided by a "live and let live" philosophy combined with a new economic model will ensure equal respect for everyone. There can be no them, just us.

Human Rights

A new social contract based on understanding and respect while guided by a "live and let live" philosophy must be established. It is irrelevant what capitalism or the government want if the people are united.

We must stop approaching our governments as if our rights were theirs to give.

The harsh reality is that we have no rights beyond those which we secure for ourselves. Mother nature, the law of the land, physics and everything else tells us that if we, conscious life on this planet, don't stand together, we will never have the rights we desire and we will never be truly free.

If we want basic human rights (let alone a system where we thrive), we must stand up to forces that prevent our advancement as a species. At this point, those forces are capitalism and unresponsive governments.

Healthcare

It's absurd we do not have access to reasonable healthcare yet. Our entire system has been corrupted by greed sold to us as free market efficiency.

Healthcare

It's absurd we do not have access to reasonable healthcare yet. Our entire system has been corrupted by greed and then sold to us as free market efficiency. Unforunately, there are no silver bullets.

As a temporary measure of providing access to healthcare, I would support the public option, Medicare for All or Single Payer or some variant. These can only be temporary as despite intentions, government programs get corrupted. This also ignores the reality that top down governance isn't as responsive as required.

Handing over our health to the free market is even more disastrous. Greed, money and profit will always find a way to make more money at the expense of our health. If it's profitable to do good things, good things will be done. Unfortunately, it is also profitable to do "bad things" like deny coverage because of a legal loophole. Both solutions offered by the major parties are flawed.

We can and should do whatever we can to make the current system better. Simultaneaously, we must begin to grow a network of OSCOs to provided health services that we need.

Feminine

We need an adult conversation about the power of the feminine. Empathy and sensitivity are not weaknesses, they are the glue for humanity.

Feminine

I like to think "big picture". Right now, there's no way a rational person could say that this society needs more aggression. There are times where this could be true, but not today. What society seems to be losing is the glue that keeps us alive: empathy.

With most people fighting for their own needs, we've lost the ability to empathize and understand someone else and their perspective. While this skillset and ability is not unique to women, it is generally amplified by the feminine. If society understood "the other side", whichever side that happens to be, we could solve our differences much more effectively.

We must amplify the lessons of the feminine not to solve immediate problems women face, but to take the first step in understanding those whom we disagree with.

Bigotry

Everyday, different groups of people are reminded that they are an XXX rather than a human being first. The sources of this division are widespread and omnipresent while the solution remains in our hands.

Bigotry

The most difficult part for me is that I have no frame of reference on what it is like to be judged as an XXX before a human. I've never felt judged by my race, gender, sexual orientation, body image or class. There is no way I can truly understand at my core what it is like and how deeply it affects our psyche. I can, however, see the problem clearly enough to see solutions.

There are two parts of the equation and each must be dealt with as independent problems. The problems are the hate and the fuel of the hate.

Without frame of reference, I don't know how to ask people to first focus on the fuel of the hate, but I must ask that very thing. Tensions are too high and people are too easily divided for the type of responsible conversation that will take place to address the seeds of the hate. I encourage constructive discourse where it can take place, but priority should be given to policies that are actively dividing us up.

The first step is empowering everyone by addressing the major issues pressing the average person. Once we no longer have to worry about access to healthcare, walking safely in the streets, being able to raise our kids in a healthy environment, we will be in a less defensive position and can start to view each other as an "us" and not a "them".

Education

Nearly everything has to change in terms of focus and organization. Empathy, self confidence, communication skills and curiousity must be a focus when educating future generations.

Education

Fortunately, other than "No Child Left Behind" which should be repealed, the federal government leaves most educational decisions up to the states. I advocate states pushing for:
Smaller class sizes
Teacher salaries should reflect the important role education plays in society
Create OSCOs for a variety of services to schools/teachers
​
We need to first establish what our goals are with our education system. Once the goals are established, we can then work out the best ways to implement them. My top priorities for children through high school are:
Empathy for others
Personal strength (+empathy = no bullies)
Critical thought
Leading and supporting
Physical health
Creativity

The world doesn't operate on grades and tests, neither should students. The education of our youth should be a richer experience than we are allowing our teachers to provide. Choice, competition and openness for teachers and schools is a must. OSCOs will be created to research best practices and make all data available to the public so people can make informed choices. Rather than waiting for government to decide what we teach our children, we can stand together and decide for ourselves based on decisions made out in the open.

Guns

There would be little divide on guns if there wasn't so much money obsessed with the division. Even Michael Moore concluded guns are not the problem.

Guns

There would be little divide on guns if there wasn't so much money obsessed with the division. ​Even Michael Moore concluded in "Bowling for Columbine" that guns are not the problem. "It's the economy, stupid."

Nearly every measure of a society gets worse with a shrinking middle class. Crime, cancer, life expectancy, education level, infant mortality AND gun violence all get worse as poverty increases. Blaming gun accessibility or failing to address the decimated middle class will not solve this problem, it will continue to add to our division.

I believe there is massive common ground to be found allowing people who love guns (ammo-sexuals!) to not live in fear of the government taking them as well as the local communities who want to live without the threat of gun violence. No one wants guns to be safer than the gun community.

There are common sense solutions that fit the requirements of all sides. We all want to be safe and secure. Working together, we can achieve a rational middle ground.

Drugs

People should be free to use drugs in their homes and society should only step in when it becomes a societal problem. It's an absurd notion that governments dictate our morality.

Drugs

The federal government has no business regulating marijuana in any respect. It should be up to the individual, but the first step is to gets the federal government out of the way.
Harder drugs should slowly be legalized and progress of the programs publicly tracked. Many developed countries legalize hard drugs yet have less problems than we do.

Climate Change

We must have immediate public conversations between skeptics and believers to reach a common accepted truth and solution. I believe climate change is real and man made, but I also believe money can corrupt science.

Climate Change

We must have immediate public conversations between skeptics and believers to reach a common accepted truth and solution. I believe climate change is real and man made, but I also believe money can corrupt science. It wouldn't surprise me if a few assumptions were made along the way that distorted the problem or lack of problem. It is next to impossible to trust any large institution in this society as too many people can be influenced by money.

The good news is that when we localize our economy, we immediately address climate change by the mere desire for a localized sustainable network of institutions serving humanity.

Social Security

Not only should the cap be lifted, people who cannot afford medical care shouldn't be paying taxes. Social security must be solvent until there is another option.

Social Security

Not only should the cap be lifted, people who cannot afford medical care shouldn't be paying taxes. Social security must be solvent until there is another option.

Wages

People absolutely deserve a decent standard of living. Capitalism's greed is also in direct conflict. Reality cannot be denied and people cannot bear the brunt of a failing economic model.

Wages

People absolutely deserve a decent standard of living, but capitalism's desire for infinite growth is in direct conflict with our desire to live on a planet with finite resources. Reality cannot be denied and people should not bear the brunt of a failing economic model.

Due to technological advancement, I don't see capitalism providing humanity as a whole with the opportunity to earn a living wage. Rather than focus on wages which have us playing an unconscious game of musical chairs, we must start focusing on providing ourselves with services that governments and capitalism are not suited to effectively deliver.

Peace

We've been at war for 90+% of our history. It appears as though President Eisenhower was correct in his warning about the Military Industrial Complex. The "war on terror" must be discussed.